Worcester manager wants to double area for gunshot sensors

WORCESTER — City Manager Michael V. O'Brien is recommending doubling the area of the city to be covered by a gunshot recognition system, called ShotSpotter, that police will deploy.

By using city money, in combination with mitigation money the city is receiving from CSX for allowing it to expand its freight yard between Shrewsbury and Franklin streets, the Police Department could deploy ShotSpotter in two areas covering a total of 6 square miles instead of just one 3-square-mile area.

Central/Main South, the second area to be covered, is roughly bounded by Interstate 290 to the east, Park Avenue to the west, Highland Street to the north and Cambridge Street to the south.

It includes the downtown as well as neighborhoods in the Main South, South Worcester, Piedmont Street and Elm Park areas.

In addition, Mr. O'Brien wants to include the purchase of video surveillance cameras for the two areas to be covered by the ShotSpotter system.

The ShotSpotter technology and the surveillance cameras will be fully integrated into the Police Department's Real Time Crime Center, he said.

With CSX mitigation money, the Police Department had originally planned to deploy ShotSpotter in a 3-square-mile area, primarily east of Interstate 290, where gun violence in the city has been a big problem.

That area (East Side/CSX) includes Grafton Hill, Shrewsbury Street and the Canal District — the three districts eligible for the use of CSX mitigation funding.

But at the urging of several city councilors, led by the City Council Public Safety Committee, the city manager was asked to find ways to expand the ShotSpotter system into areas of the city not eligible for CSX mitigation funds where gun violence has been a big problem as well.

In response to that request, Mr. O'Brien said he is willing to add city funding to the CSX mitigation money so the police can expand the ShotSpotter deployment.

"Based on the importance of this program and the need to implement both areas simultaneously for maximum results, I am recommending we use available departmental funds for necessary fiscal year 2014 costs to fund Area 2 (downtown, Main South, South Worcester, Piedmont) which will be replenished with an appropriate transfer by approval of the City Council during the tax recap process.

"At this point, we believe the balance for the remainder of this fiscal year will be approximately $80,000," the manager added. "The cost of the surveillance cameras will be addressed using available balances from prior-year capital equipment loan orders, at an approximate cost of $100,000. The city will look to identify additional funding sources for this innovative program in future years."

Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said the cost estimates for ShotSpotter technology are: East Side/CSX, $434,300 over three years; and Central/Main South, $424,300.

Meanwhile, the integrated video surveillance cameras cost $120,000. That's for 24 cameras, 12 for each of the two areas, the chief said. He added that there is an additional $30,000 charge for integration of ShotSpotter and video technology.

"There is no single solution to reducing gun violence," Chief Gemme wrote in a report that goes before the City Council Tuesday night.

"The best results occur when police departments recognize the need to have officers on the beat working collaboratively with the community, sharing information with law enforcement and criminal justice partners, and embracing innovation and technology," he added. "ShotSpotter technology is a cost-effective program that meets this criteria."

The ShotSpotter technology uses acoustic sensors to detect the sound of gunfire.

The sensors are set up on high structures, such as light poles and rooftops. The data collected from them is fed to an incident review center in California operated by SST Inc., the vendor of the system.

The sensors are paired with software that can analyze the sounds in real time and pinpoint the location from which each round was fired, as well as determine how many shots were fired, what direction they were fired and the type of weapon used. Police officials said the system can pinpoint within 3 feet the location from which gunshots originated.

By tying the ShotSpotter system into the Real Time Crime Center, police can direct surveillance cameras to the area where the gunshots originated. In comparison, police said that now when they receive calls about gunshots, they only have a report of the general location with few other specifics. The ShotSpotter system will also inform police of many more gunfire incidents, since not all incidents are reported to police by the public. Chief Gemme said reducing gun violence has been a priority of the Police Department during the past nine years.

He said through the department's adoption of various violence prevention strategies and the use of technology, Worcester remains a relatively safe community, and gun violence is significantly less than in other urban communities.

But the chief said there are areas in the city that present challenges for the Police Department.

"The real issue is the negative impact gun violence has on the quality of life in the affected neighborhoods," Chief Gemme said. "There is no single panacea to reducing gun violence. The investment in ShotSpotter technology is the type of innovation that will help the men and women of the Worcester Police Department reduce gun violence and keep our community safe."